Even though Gary began playing piano and saxophone at a young age, in 1972, he heard the jazz band from Henderson State University perform at his high school, featuring Earl Hesse. When Earl stood up and played a killer solo he immediately knew, “I want to do that!” After his military training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Gary enrolled at HSU. Dr. Hesse became a life-long mentor and friend.
Gary has toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Harry James Orchestra, and his own Ezekiel 3:18 Band. He has played with such notable artists as Lou Marini, Tom ”Bones” Malone, and Doc Severinson among dozens of others. He has spent over 40 years as a music educator, with numerous awards for his concert and jazz bands.
Gary has released many albums over the years as a solo artist in the Jazz and Christian genres. Most recently, Gary’s releases have been through SmoothJazz.com. In 2020 he was inducted into the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame for his work as both an artist and an educator.
Bryan Jefferies is Gary’s long-time friend and collaborator–producing, arranging, engineering and performing on his latest albums. Gary and Bryan were on tour with River City Street Band in 1978, and have worked together ever since.
Gary is presently a Saxophone Instructor at Henderson State University and Principal Reed player for The Muses Creative Artistry Project.
“Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” Ephesians 4:32
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